I hate those disposable cameras couples place in the middle of the table at the reception with the expectation that guests will use them to capture candid moments. It’s like saying, come to my party, buy me a gift and…Oh yeah, you have a job!… Take pictures. :^|The way this plays out through your lens…We guests take the camera with us and wherever we go. You get some crazy candid shots of a male relative doing something silly with an article of female clothing or of an older female relative having a touching moment with flower girl. The way it really plays out…We guests, get to the table and inevitably 25% of the camera’s don’t work because they are cheap and from the last century. Anyone at our table born after 1991 or before 1945 does not know how or cannot remember how to use a 35mm camera. The fact that the flash needs time to ‘warm up’ or the film must be advanced manually is a foreign concept.
Hence you will end up with some combination of following types of pictures:1. Group table shot - these are decent and taken at the beginning of the night by the one person at the table who knows how to use a camera. 2. Some really awesome shots taken by the ‘91 or ‘45 that you can’t see because the flash was not on3. Followed by the thumb/forefinger shots and the confused scrunched faces when the camera goes off accidentally. 4. And finally at the end of the night of a whole ton of self portraits of your drunken guests trying to use up the rest of the film. Point and ClickIn this day and age when every single device down to your car keys comes with a relatively decent camera, it is not necessary to provide a crappy one for your guests, especially when this money could be spent on an open bar. At any given time I have at least 3 devices on me that can take a decent quality picture and/or video and that is when I am carrying my small purse. Just let the guests take the pictures they want with the device of their choice. Odds are if they own the device then they know how to use it, (notwithstanding my mother) thus eliminating points 2-4. If you want a copy of the photos the guests took, then create an FTP site or open a Picassa site where they can upload their digital pics to you.Strike a PoseOkay, so my reasons for having a professional photographer at a wedding are not completely selfless; I want some nice pictures of ME in my dress too! I mean seriously as an adult when was the last time, outside of some random club promo shots, that you had a professional shot taken of yourself all dolled up and ready to play (family portraits do not count). I spent 2 months looking for and 6 weeks $alary on my outfit for this shindig and I want a pic of me in it, preferably with tasteful lighting and artfully framed. UnderexposedBe aware: Wedding dresses are not photogenic. Wedding dresses never look as good in pictures as they do in real life. In all of the weddings of have been to, the pictures of the dresses never do justice to the actual dress. I do not place fault on the photographer for this, I just think there is a “movement” or ‘life’, a je ne sais quoi, to wedding dresses that just cannot be captured on film or in an instant.
Tags: Wedding planning photography guest
Sorry my posts have been delayed. Wedding Season has begun shopping, travel, dresses OH MY! If you can believe it,even after reading this blog, my friends are still inviting me.
I will post again really soon!
Kids are a direct result, along with a federal tax penalty and minimized closet space, of the event you are so tireless planning.Odds are there will be kids at your wedding. Most likely there will be kids in your wedding i.e ring bearer, flower girl(s). Here are some things you need to remember about these small sociopathic beings. 1. They are not pint sized adults.Do not expect kids to have the stamina, fortitude or understanding of an adult. While standing outside in 45 degree weather in a sleeveless dress, is only an uncomfortable and unpleasant undertaking for your adult bridesmaids; for a child this feels like pure HELL. And they will throw a temper tantrum from aforementioned demonic location to let you know exactly how they feel about it. Thus even though you may have picked a beautiful dress for the flower girl to wear accept the fact that when she walks down the aisle her dress will be covered up by her daddy’s suit jacket. The same goes for warm temps. If it’s 90 degrees in the shade, don’t expect your 3 year old ring bearer to be okay with sweating through the little suit, vest and tie you picked out for him. Be prepared to see him streaking down the aisle clad only in a tie and diaper looking like a miniature Chippendale dancer.2. Kids come with PARENTSI am not a parent but my mom is and Marlo Thomas taught me that “Parents are people too.”-Free To Be You and Me (as essential to parenting as alcohol) Parents with kid(s) in your weddingParents of children in weddings have kind of a Guest+ status. They fall into this weird category where they are more than just guests, but not officially part of the wedding party, but because of the kid they are still very involved in wedding party things. These Guest+ parents have to jump through all of the hoops guests do (i.e. time off work, travel and hotel) with a kid. Maybe not all of you have traveled with kids, but I am sure you have been traveling where there are kids and you know how horrendous that can be. Odds are, if the kid was not in the wedding, the parents would have left it at home, and had a nice “adult” weekend. (in both meanings of the word) Am I right parents?!?!I would suggest for these Guest+ parents you recognize them in some way, maybe give them a gift, along with the wedding party. Or make sure you send them an extra special thank you card. After all, it is their offspring who turned a plain old aisle into a flower strewn (okay they dropped one petal and got excited and just ran to their mom) lane for you to glide down.Parents with kids @ the weddingThese are the parents whose kids are such terrors that no one would watch them for more than a few hours thus they had no choice but to bring them along.Kids @ the ceremony…Surprisingly enough, contrary to what the previous statement would lead you to believe, I have never attended a wedding where a child has been so badly behaved as to interrupt or take away from the wedding ceremonies. I don’t know if it’s the glare from their shiny little shoes that hypnotizes them into a “best behavior” trance or that they know these ceremonies lead to more babies and they do not want to jeopardize the growth of their little sticky-fingered army. (Who knows..but parents I suggest you sleep with one eye open.)I mean sure, I have witnessed some fidgeting, picking part of the program or the occasional drinking of the bubbles or eating of the bird seed. But in all fairness, I can’t really blame the youngsters because most of the time halfway through the hour long homily or sermon, I am doing the same thing. However you should always be prepared, just in case there is kid at your wedding who has not mastered her “inside voice.” Have the Ushers suggest or ask if parents with kids would like to be seated at the end of the row not facing the aisle, in case they have to make an escape. Gold star: If you have a place set up where a parent could go and watch the ceremony while their kid finishes their very important, very loud diatribe on why they should be able to play with their toy RIGHT NOW!Kids @ the reception…I have seen brides deal with these kids many different ways. Sometimes they seat them at a “kids” table that has a less fussy, more kid friendly (i.e. no candles) centerpiece and plastic or more durable (childproof) china and stemware. The problem with this is that the parents are relegated to the kids table also. And while I am sure these parents love their little terrors kids. I am also sure they would appreciate having a nice dinner with grown-up conversation where they don’t have to spell out the bad words. One wedding I went to handled the kids very well.When it was time for the reception/dinner to start, the kids went into a room adjacent to the reception hall, where there was a clown, a balloon artist, a magician and two nannies who entertained the children while they dined on pizza and sodas. This way the parents got to enjoy the fine dining of the reception and have a conversation with other adults that did not involve potty training or pre-schools. The couple benefited from this also because pizza and soda for the kids at $10 a head was way less than the $80 a plate for food at the reception. Let’s face it, for these adorable little accidents miracles, pizza trumps any meal especially ones that contain food they can’t pronounce or food that resembles trees.
Tags: Kids Parents guests moms planning wedding reception
A Toast“May your wedding toasts, be beautiful, poetic, exciting, heartwarming, lovely, funny, sweet and short;May you accept that your toast will be embarrassing, poorly written, somewhat boring, long and painfulMay God grant you the patience to overcome this and your partner the strength to restrain you. “ —Squirt
Toasts. These are beyond your control. There is nothing you can do about what people will say in their toasts at your wedding. And unless you plan on commissioning an Oscar-winning writer for your family, then the toasts will suck! It is a given. It’s an anticipated badness, like an episode of “Jersey Shore.” You should expect some inappropriate language, offensive humor, unintelligible mumblings, tears, drunkenness and there may even be fist-pumping. But then it’s over. And all we have to do is eagerly wait for the next one knowing it will be at least 10x worse. Like I said, toasts are beyond your control. However, there are ways to mitigate the pain (that don’t involve copious amounts of alcohol for you or the toaster).
The most important thing about toasts is to be a good sport about it. Remember these people love you, and they want to wish you the best, but sometimes putting that into words can be very difficult (think about how hard it is to write your vows). So cut them a little slack and grin and bear it. They genuinely thought that off color, slightly offensive joke was going to go over wayyy better. :-$
Tags: Wedding planning guests toasts family
Recently I had the opportunity to sit down and have a nice chat with Hypothetical Bride. We touched on various topics about weddings and wedding planning here is an excerpt from our conversation on music and dancing for the wedding reception.Career Guest (CG): Hi. Glad you could join me. How is it going?Hypothetical Bride (HB): Great! Only ‘generic countdown’ days left til the big day. I just came from a music concert in the park and the ten piece brass ensemble was great. I think I want to get them to play at the wedding reception. I love that instrumental ballroom music it is so, elegant and classy.CG: Wow, I didn’t know you and your partner ballroom danced!HB: We don’t. I mean we are taking lessons now for our ‘first dance’ but, that’s it.CG: Are your families big ballroom dancers?HB: No…Well…my Uncle Leo and Aunt Viv used to dance when they were younger. But his knee is bad and she just had hip surgery. CG: Do your friends ballroom dance?HB: No…but they are obsessed with “Dancing with the Stars.”CG: So who exactly will be dancing to this music at your wedding?…(jokingly) Do you plan on hiring someone.HB: Maybe….Or we could have LESSONS! The people teaching my partner and I are amazing!CG: That’s good -When would these lessons happen?HB: I don’t know…maybe after the rehearsal dinner, for about an hour or so?CG: An hour or so…Is that enough time? How long have you and your partner been taking lessons?HB: (sigh!) Almost 3 months! And we still have a lot to learn. Ballroom dance is hard!While we are talking a great Pop/HipHop/Rap/Country/Jazz crossover begins to play on the radio and HB begins to sing along. Then HB starts to gyrate, rather inappropriately for the family friendly eatery where we are sitting. And right before I think people are going start pulling out $1 bills, HB stops… HB: I LOVE this song! A more lewd song by this artist was playing in the bar (clears throat)..um..at the wine tasting where me and my partner met. I’m going to add this to the wedding play list.CG: Wow! Do you think the 10 piece brass ensemble can play this? They must have been really great?!HB: Oh, right, the brass ensemble. So ok, maybe I will get a DJ. But wouldn’t this be fun? I love dancing to music like this.CG: Ummm….yeah… I am sure YOU do. But how is your Aunt Viv going to manage “backing that thing up” with her walker. And you do know that if Uncle Leo “Gets too low,” he’s not coming back up.HB: (thoughtfully) Hummm..yeah. In addition, it may be a little hard trying to teach my Bubbe how to ‘Dougie’.CG: Well, what type of music does your partner like?HB: I don’t know….lots of stuff.CG: Like what? Have you shared each others i-tunes or browsed through CD collections.HB: Not really…but.. (then with a huge smile) We have agreed on one thing, though! Our first dance will be to Etta James “At Last”! Isn’t that just the best song right?!?!…You can read the rest of my interview with Hypothetical Bride in future posts.
Let’s Face the Music and Dance In a 4 hour reception, you have 30 minutes for traditions and introductions, 1 hour for eating and 30 minutes for toasts. That leaves you with….anyone, anyone, Bueller…..approximately 2 hours for dancing(that’s about 40-50 songs).
RECOMMENDATION: You and your partner take a weekend (it will require a weekend with multiple breaks) and go through the multiple thousands of songs on your i-pods, computers, find that CaseLogic binder with your CDs (and cough tapes) and select your Top 60 favorite songs of all time then use this as the basis for your play list. This will create the most perfect wedding playlist for you and your partner. Additionally, you will learn a lot about your future spouse and their music choices. Like, if they own two copies of the “Annie” soundtrack.
My Soap BoxOf the 31 weddings I have attended 15 couples have selected “At Last” by Etta James as their first dance song!Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Etta James (RIP). The way she blends a touch of melancholy and longing into her soulful alto voice could rouse emotion from stone, but there are other songs, people. If you wanna stick with Etta, fine! Why not try “I Just Wanna Make Love to You” or “Something’s Got a Hold on Me”?Or, call me crazy, you could also choose from any of the thousands of cheesy love songs that have wormed their way into popular culture. Try looking into the works of Bryan Adams or Richard Marx. Heck, even Lil’ Wayne wrote a love song. Even though your wedding may feel like an “At Last” to you, really it’s only the beginning of your journey together.
Tags: Wedding planning guests music dancing
— http://connieanony.tumblr.com/post/21820087051/if-your-guests-could-plan-your-wedding-reception
PREVIOUSLY ON… If Your Guests Could…Plan Your Wedding: The wedding, the dresses, the ceremony…that was all made by you and for you. On the other hand, the reception it is all about the guests. Well mostly about the guest. And some about you. Okay, it’s about the guests watching you be in love.In relation to the ceremony, the average wedding reception is about 4 times longer than the wedding ceremony. However, couples usually spend only about ⅛ of the time planning it…
Guests don’t attend weddings for the food. We go for the alcohol and an excuse to buy a new outfit. And to celebrate you, of course. If anything, the strict stomach shrinking two-week ‘fad’ diet (I draw the line at sticking a tube up my nose) coupled with the control top pantyhose and full body Spanx necessary to fit into the fantabulous outfit we found for this occasion does not allow for us to eat/drink more than 8oz. at a time without a wardrobe malfunction. That being said: Have food. Any type of food and plenty of it. We need something to soak up all that liquor. A couple of veggie platters and some chips do not count. This is a wedding, not a house party. (True Story, I don’t want to get into it.) Eat what you like… It doesn’t matter if the meal is Fillet Mignon, Belgian waffles or McDonald’s burgers and fries; it’s your wedding. We’ll deal.As long as the food is decent and does not induce projectile vomiting, of Exorcist fame, it is fine. I have never seen anyone storm out of a wedding reception because the food was not up to their culinary standards. The only thing I would recommend would be if your cuisine of choice involves lots of sauces (i.e. Bar-B-Q) or is just generally messy to eat (i.e. crabs), then some notice to your guests via your wedding website would be great.
Guests can have YOUR cake and eat it too I was in one wedding where the bride wanted a chocolate wedding cake but her mother disagreed because “all wedding cakes are white and a chocolate cake was just not appropriate.” The fix was to have a white wedding cake with a bowl of chocolate syrup on the side that guests could drizzle over the cake if they chose to. This was fine, but it wasn’t chocolate cake.
If you want chocolate cake, carrot cake or pound cake for your wedding cake, DO IT! There may be some guests who will balk at the cake flavor, but it’s not their wedding. It’s yours. And once again, we didn’t come for the food. We came to dance. And to celebrate you, of course. That being said, there have been some weddings where the food was especially memorable:
Cake buffetOne bride opted to have a buffet of at least 20 cakes. There was one largish cake that was the official wedding cake with the bride and groom toppers. The other cakes were smaller and ranged from German Chocolate to Strawberry Shortcake to Cheesecake.
Dessert BarSome people have also had dessert bars or dessert platters stocked with cookies, candies and even fruit. (But not raisins, I don’t care what your mama told you raisins are NOT a dessert.) Thus, if for some reason, say…you are a cyborg, and cake is not your dessert of preference, the dessert bar offers acceptable alternatives and no one will ever need to know that you are a heartless robot sent to kill all humanity.
Allergy Awareness Diet restrictions- vegetarian, or vegan (they ARE different), gluten free and common allergies (nuts, diary and soy etc.) are all things you should be aware of when planning your menu. However, if the veggie entree option is not that exciting or you just can’t find good non-dairy ice cream, it’s okay. It’s the thought that counts. If one of these guests complains that the gluten free option is too bland or the vegan option is just vegetables, ignore them. They are just being rude. Center piecesLet me break it down for you…here is what I want out of a center piece: I want it to be able to tell me I am sitting at the right table as identified by my seating card. (That’s it!) Anything more than that is your call. You are free to design your centerpieces however you see fit. It doesn’t matter if it’s flowers or candles or colored water. I know these things get expensive, but I really can’t tell the difference between a 100 year old crystal candle holder and $20 glass one from Michael’s. I also hate to break it to you, but odds are really high (like 99.99%), that we guests will not remember them AT ALL the next day. The few centerpieces that I do remember were relatively inexpensive and unique. One was road/highway route signs…I was at table “Route 66”. Another, the tables were named after famous movie stars; mine was the “Spencer Tracy” table. The only other one was where the bride’s mother had sewn small decorative quilts for each table. For the other 29 weddings, I don’t remember your centerpieces at all.
Now, brides don’t feel bad about this. I am not saying that your wedding was forgettable. But, I’m sure that at one of those other 29 weddings, someone agonized for months and spent a lot of money over something that guests are not paying attention to. Wouldn’t it have been better to have spent that energy (and money) on something more important, like say, an open bar?
….to be continuedNEXT TIME ON… If Your Guests Could…Plan Your Wedding: Music, Toasts, and Favors
Tags: Wedding reception guests food planning
TimingThe reception should follow directly after the ceremony. If you can’t do that (because of pictures or transportation or changing dresses), then it should not be any later than 1 hour after the wedding ceremony. It makes for a ridiculously long day when the wedding ceremony is at 10 am (and over by 11 am) and the reception is not until 6 pm. It’s hard to stay dolled up (and stain-free) for that long and most Spanx have a comfortable half-life of about 4 hours (after which they become flesh-colored torture devices). It has become common place that the traditional wedding pictures are taken directly after the ceremony because now the bride and groom are free to stare lovingly at each other in their wedding attire without any fear of jinxing their union. However depending on the size of the bridal parties and families (especially if there are step-parents or multiple marriages), these pictures can take a long time and significantly delay the reception. My suggestion: take all of the non-bride and groom shots (bride with bridesmaids, groom with mother, etc) before the ceremony and there will be less pictures to be taken while the guests are waiting to eat. Also, no makeup will have run from crying bridesmaids, mothers, really emo groomsmen, etc.
High balls and High heels to the rescueTo help fill in the ceremony reception gap, most couples hold a cocktail reception. Guests can begin their alcohol consumption so that when the dance floor opens later on, they will be at the right level of inebriation to bust a move like no one is watching.
NOTE: The same seating rules that you used for the ceremony apply with the cocktail reception. Actually, seating is even more important during the cocktail hour because alcohol is involved.
The cocktail hour also gives your guests a chance to do the one thing civilized society requires of them…sign the guest book!
As a guest I do understand the importance of this book. It gives you the correct address and the exact names of the people you need to thank for coming to your wedding. And, in the off-chance that one of your guests becomes famous, you will have something to give E! True Hollywood story.
Oftentimes the signing of the guest book is bypassed or forgotten because the signing line is really, really long and moves ridiculously slow. (Seriously people, how hard is it to write your OWN name and address?!) Placing your guestbook at the entrance to the reception site is bad for many reasons. At best, it gets ignored; at worst, it becomes one more barrier between the guests and their drinks. (Long Island Ice Teas will win over Long Lines every time.)
Instead, strategically place the guest book at the end of the bar, maybe near the napkins and swizzle straws. That way, the guests can get their drink, sign the book (maybe even write something funny) and everyone gets what they want. It’s a win/win. You’re happy, I’m happy and all is good in the world.
Eventually, at some point in the night, the book is moved by some busybody who wants to make sure all of the ‘right’ people have signed it and, if they haven’t, will personally demand request they do. (Once the book is on the move, tracking it down is harder than finding a Snitch in a Quidditch match!)
If We Can See It, We Will SitFACT: If the reception dining area is visible from the cocktail hour, your guests will occupy it. We are doing this for two main reasons
So call off the dogs (wedding planner or reception staff) when we do sit. We are not going to take anyone’s seat and in all fairness after hour 3 and drink #7, a chair becomes just a chair, it doesn’t matter who it is assigned to.….to be continuedNEXT TIME ON… If Your Guests Could…Plan Your Wedding: Food, Music and Toasts
Tags: Wedding planning reception guests
The wedding, the dresses, the ceremony…that was all made by you and for you. On the other hand, the reception it is all about the guests. Well mostly about the guest. And some about you. Okay, it’s about the guests watching you be in love.In relation to the ceremony, the average wedding reception is about 4 times longer than the wedding ceremony. However, couples usually spend only about ⅛ of the time planning it. Going the Distance To calculate the distance between two objects, you take the square root of (the change in x)2 +(the change in y)2 Don’t care? Try this one on for size.To calculate the ideal distance between the wedding ceremony and the reception location, you take the square root of (the total number of guests) x 0. (For those who don’t get the joke, the reception site should not be very far away from the ceremony. You’re welcome.)In an ideal world, the reception location should be in the same building as the wedding ceremony. If that is not possible, because your non-Catholic church doesn’t allow drinking or the lawn from your outdoor wedding is not suitable to handle 50 guests doing the electric slide, then it should at least be in the same town or county as the wedding ceremony. If the distance between your ceremony location and the reception site takes more than 45 minutes to traverse, then it is a commute and therefore unacceptable. While in some parts of the country, driving 1- 2 hours (one way) to attend a function or go shopping is commonplace, for us city dwellers any distance greater than 10 blocks or 5 metro stops is FAR FAR away. If your reception is nowhere near your wedding location:
1. Consider changing locations (wedding or reception)
2. Provide very CLEAR detailed driving directions
3. Provide transportation to the location (NOT a Hay Wagon. True story. I don’t want to get into it.)
Gold Star: Your guests will be extra grateful if the hotel you recommended on your wedding website is near the reception location (not the wedding ceremony). This way, the furthest they’ll have to travel is to the ceremony in the daytime, rather than back to the hotel, in the dark and slightly buzzed.
It’s a given the location must be accessible (see post).PARKING CAVEAT: There should be some…Make sure there is parking for guests at your ceremony and reception location. While there may look to be parking, make sure it’s not permit only or the parking lot is not for “customers only.” Also check the city calendar to ensure that on the day of your wedding there is not a street cleaning or road race that would restrict parking.
Let me put this way, if I have to shell out money to pay for a parking ticket that amount will be deducted from the money I spend on your wedding present.
To be continued…
Tags: Wedding reception guests planning
…the Union..the tying of the knot…the jumping of the broom…the actual legal joining of two people…
This is YOUR time.
This is the part of the wedding that is truly under your complete purview. Society, mothers, friends or politics have no say in this. ONLY you and your partner. This ceremony is how you decide to declare your love for each other before God (if that’s how you roll), your family and gathered guests.
You can chose to dance down the aisle to Chris Brown, shoot paint balls at each other’s hearts while Bon Jovi plays in the background or traditionally glide down a rose-petal covered aisle to Mendelssohn’s Wedding March.
It does not matter. You two are expressing your love and your life-long bond to each other. They rest of us are just lucky to be there and we should be grateful for it.
BUT…If I could just bend your ear and give you a few suggestions for this all important day/moment
Size does matter.
I know this may have never occurred to you, but perhaps you have not noticed that your quaint family church, the one that you’ve been going to since you were a kid and where all of your relatives got married and buried, only seats 75 on a good day (including the choir). So, when you invite 300 guests to this 75-seat location, your wedding ceremony will soon become the largest game of musical chairs you have ever seen.
To avoid this, make sure the church can hold everyone invited. If not…
The Fall of the House of Usher
While bride and groom side seating has gone the way of the Dodo for most weddings, ushers are still necessary. I have gone to so many weddings where the ushers (who generally are someone’s disaffected teenage nephew or cousin) look more like mini-hipster bouncers in a night club and are about as helpful. However, ushers are extremely important.
They give out the program. You remember, that thing that you agonised over and the (several) pieces of paper that tell your guests what is happening during the ceremony. Yeah, that thing. That traditionally gets distributed by the usher.
They usher your guests to their seats. While, there may not be a bride-side and a groom-side any more, there is still traditionally family seating. Depending on the size of your family, it may not be restricted to the first pew but may flow over into the subsequent four pews. Ushers need to a) know that and b) let your guests know that. There is nothing more uncomfortable than to be a college friend of the bride and be seated with the family members. Trust me. Also, ushers should know where accessible seating is for those guests in wheelchairs, walkers or scooters.
They inform your guests about any special tasks we are supposed to do, like blow bubbles, throw feathers or shake a fan. It’s your party and we’re here to play with you; we just need to know what to do.
Ushers are particularly important in non-traditional wedding locations. I once went to a wedding in an office building. When I exited the elevator, on the assigned 3rd floor, I spotted about 3 possibly ceremony locations, all set up and decked out in floral finery. It would have been nice if an usher had greeted us to let us know which location was for our friends.
Vows.
Like a tree falling in the woods, we have to be able to hear them for them to count.
On one hand, we get it. This is a really emotional, intense and intimate moment for you and your partner. You feel the need to use your intimate voice (low, quiet, kind of mumblish). But for the rest us, WE NEED TO HEAR YOU. And not just for our own pleasure, but for legal purposes as well (we are witnesses).
So if you are not going to use your outdoor voice for your vows…THEN MIC UP!
This moment, the vows, the public expression of your love for each other before God, your family and the world; THIS is what we came to see. And, by gum, I wanna hear it. So unless you want a 5 ft. 4 inch tall (6 inches in heels) guest shouting ‘speak up’ from the back of the church or, even worse, standing right in between you two while you say your vows, GET A MIC. You won’t even notice it’s there. If you wanted a quiet private ceremony, then you should not have invited guests.
Outside of these little suggestions, the rest of the ceremony is up to you. Be as loud, crazy, boring or creative as you want to. We are just happy that you invited us to witness this event! (Unless you are my sister, in which case, Colonial garb for your wedding party is a definite NO!)
Tags: wedding guest ceremony plann
Wedding planning advice from the point of view of a career wedding guest. To date my wedding number is 31 and counting!